Literary Devices
Rhetoric
Texts
Literary Movements
Misc.
100

The sentence: “The silky, slimy slug slinked across the road” uses which literary device?

Alliteration

100

The ASPCA commercial plays sad music and uses clips of mistreated animals while asking for donations.

Pathos

100

The clock in “The Masque of the Red Death” could be said to be an allegory for what?

The passage of time (or impending death)

100

Which literary movement focused most on instinct and inner knowledge?

Transcendentalism

100

How would you define a theme or central idea?

A theme or central idea is the main message of the text, which can be applied to the world or humanity in general (e.g. "good will always triumph over evil", "bad things happen when people try to play God")

200

The phrase: "Books are the mirrors of the soul" is a what?

A metaphor

200

While giving a presentation at work, you include a slideshow of data you collected in your research to show that your company’s product is effective.

Logos

200

The US Declaration of Independence asserts that it is the government’s job to do what?

Protect the God-given rights of its people

200

What was the main focus of Transcendentalism?

The exploration of the inner self and connecting with spirituality and intuition through nature

200

What is the difference between internal and external conflict?

Internal conflict takes place inside the character (e.g. a moral or emotional dilemma), while external conflict takes place in the physical or in society (e.g. war, a competition)

300

In Riding the Tiger, the tiger could be said to represent trouble. This is an example of what?

Allegory

300

If a writer points out their credentials and connects themselves to the topic of their research, they are using which rhetorical appeal?

Ethos (or an appeal to ethics and authority)

300

In Walden, what does Thoreau claim the problem is with society?

A lack of simplicity; he claims that mankind is bogged down with possessions, tasks and insignificant information that keep them from accessing their inner-self and focusing on what is important.

300

What are some of the characteristics of Romanticism?

Emphasis on individual emotions and experiences over logic, focus on the "sublime" (a thrilling emotional experience that combines awe, magnificence, and horror), beautiful language and imagery

300

Make any necessary corrections: When Amelia Earhart's plane went missing in 1937, it "ushering  in one of the biggest aviation mysteries of the last century."

When Amelia Earhart's plane went missing in 1937, it "[ushered] in one of the biggest aviation mysteries of the last century." (The verbs need to match tense in the sentence, and any corrections made to someone else's words should be marked in brackets)

400

In the film Psycho, the audience sees the killer approaching the shower, while the woman inside, Marion, can’t hear them due to the noise from the running water. What is this an example of?

Dramatic Irony

400

When someone asks a question that is not meant to be answered, it would be referred to as what?

Rhetorical Question

400

Why does Patrick Henry claim the colonists have no other choice but to fight the British?

They have already attempted every form of negotiation to no avail and have been mistreated by the British. He also tells them that his previous experience tells him that the friendliness of the British is false and will lead to betrayal.

400

Realist writers were often aware of the possibility of their works becoming drab or boring. Instead of eccentric plots/stories, what did they focus on?

Character development and moral/ethical dilemmas

400

Correct this sentence: The orange gummy worms are extremely sour, They are also Anna’s favorite.

The orange gummy worms are extremely sour; they are also Anna’s favorite. (replace the comma with a semicolon and make "They" lowercase)

500

When using this device, an author is making a reference to something (e.g. a person, event, etc.) that the audience is meant to know.

Allusion

500

The famous quote "We came, we saw, we conquered" is an example of what?

Parallelism (or anaphora)

500

In "The Story of an Hour", was Mrs. Mallard's heart disease literal or figurative? Why?

Most likely figurative, though it appears to have caused a literal heart attack. We are told she died of the "joy that kills", which leads us to guess that she experienced a sudden rush of emotion, which had been repressed, or unfelt, for years, and overwhelmed her to the point of collapse.

500

Name one of the writers/philosophers who influenced Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence.

Thomas Paine or John Locke

500

Correct this sentence: After hours of practice, Nala finally learned how to dunk, passing, and she dribbled in pool basketball.

After hours of practice, Nala finally learned how to dunk, pass, and dribble in pool basketball. (All verbs need to be in the same form, which here, is infinitive. They are presented in a list of things she learned how to do, so we do not need to repeat the subject by adding "she")

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